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January 11, 2010
Marquette General Hospital makes two healthy food commitments
Marquette General Hospital is part of a voluntary national effort to eliminate trans fats, serve more fresh fruits and vegetables, forgo heavily processed foods, and provide patients hormone-free milk, meat and organic produce, when possible.
MGH has signed two pledges, the Healthy Food in Health Care pledge and the Trans Fat Elimination Initiative pledge.
“MGH is committed to the goal of promoting local, nutritious and sustainable food,” said Carol Holman, director of Food and Nutrition Services at MGH. “By signing both of these pledges, MGH is taking a major step in educating patients, staff and the community on how to improve their health through better nutrition.”
A team of experts at Marquette General Hospital was formed to implement and monitor the Healthy Food in Health Care pledge and the Trans Fat Elimination Initiative pledge, which were both recently signed by A. Gary Muller FACHE, Marquette General Health System President and CEO. Both pledges are part of a national effort to eliminate trans fats, serve more fresh fruits and vegetables, forgo heavily processed foods, and provide patients hormone-free milk, meat and organic produce, when possible. Pictured from left are: Dr. James Surrell, colon and rectal disease specialist, Marquette General Digestive Health; Heidi Schneiderhan, residency education coordinator, Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation; Deb Sergey, registered dietitian, Marquette General Nutrition and Wellness; Pam Roose, program director, Marquette General Nutrition and Wellness; Dr. Scott Emerson, emergency medicine specialist, Marquette General Emergency Medicine; Dr. Lisa Long, hospitalist, MGH; Sheryl Rule, registered dietitian, Marquette General Nutrition and Wellness; Carol Holman, director, HHA Services; and Sue deGroot, therapist, Marquette General Behavioral Health.
The Healthy Food in Health Care pledge is sponsored by the nonprofit group, Health Care Without Harm. By signing this pledge, MGH joins more than 250 United States facilities agreeing to accept practices that will improve the health of patients and communities through nutrition, while also protecting the surrounding environment.
“As a physician, my top priority is providing the safest, highest quality care to all who walk through my doors,” said Dr. Lisa Long, hospitalist at MGH. “That care extends beyond medical treatment and procedures and includes providing an all-around healthy environment for patients, their families, friends and hospital staff.”
One of the first steps MGH has taken in the Healthy Food in Health Care pledge long-range plan was introducing more flaxseed products in the Hospital cafeteria.
"Flaxseed is an excellent source of dietary fiber,” said Dr. James Surrell, board certified colon and rectal disease specialist and medical director of Marquette General Digestive Health. “A high fiber diet with about 30 grams of dietary fiber per day offers many health benefits, which include decreasing the risk of colorectal cancer, lowering cholesterol, improving symptoms of diarrhea and/or constipation, treating symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and reducing the risk for diverticulitis.”
The Michigan Hospital Association Trans Fat Elimination Initiative pledge is focused on the elimination of trans fats in food items found in vending machines, hospital cafeterias and patient meals.
Trans fats have been linked to negative health effects. These include increased levels of LDL cholesterol (bad) and reduced levels of HDL cholesterol (good). Trans fat contributes to increased obesity, which is now estimated to account for nine to11 percent of total US health care expenditures.
Dr. Emerson, Marquette General Emergency Medicine Specialist, said, “The most powerful way for everyone to wring the best health they can out of the genes they inherited, is through what is eaten every day. The diet is actually quite simple. Eat mostly plants in a rainbow of colors, purchased fresh as much as possible from local and regional farms, and minimize consumption of highly processed foods. MGH is making a long term commitment to educating ourselves, patients and the public about the remarkable wellness power of good nutrition and demonstrating just how tasty good nutrition can be."
To learn more about the Healthy Food in Health Care pledge, visit HCWH’s Web site at www.noharm.org. To learn more about the Trans Fat Elimination pledge, visit MHA’s Web site at www.mha.org.
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